Militia
by Hiztorybuff313
Summary: Charged by her Queen to complete an almost impossible task, Elizabeta is sent out with Arthur Kirkland, a former Pirate, to form an all civilian militia in a land as lawless as hell itself. Rated T for violence. Human names used
1. Chapter 1

"Who knew this job would be so difficult?" Arthur snickered as a counter to his friends grumbles of complaint as he dabbed the woman's split lip with a rag. "Stop grumbling. Honestly you're acting like someone stole your candy." He teased when Elizabeta looked at him with a furious glower.

"I just asked them if they were interested in the job, but he was more interested in grabbing my ass. I didn't expect it to turn into a brawl." She spat, standing when Arthur moved away with a sigh. Pulling off his tunic and tossing it messily next to his pack with a sigh Arthur sat down with a groan of exhaustion on his rented bed. Looking back up at her livid form he shook his head and decided it wasn't worth pursuing a better mood from the woman.

"The Queen never said this would be an easy job, trying to find people fit enough to join a militia is dangerous and stupid in all honestly, but it's what we've been ordered to do my friend." He chuckled, sprawling out on the bed as Elizabeta inspected the sheets on her own bed for anything unpleasant to wake up to.

"I never should have left the army." She groaned sitting when she was satisfied that her bed was vermin free and pulling her leather boots off in disgust. Not bothering to change into her night wear she tossed herself onto the bed.

"And I should have begged to stay in the Navy, but I did not, and neither did you. So unless you plan on returning to her majesty and begging for your position back, Sergeant…I suggest you stop complaining." He grunted pulling off his boots and tossing them lazily onto the floor next to his discarded tunic and pulling his blanket up to his chin. Lying down he rolled over leaving only his short cropped blonde hair poking out above the rough wool blankets.

"This militia is a terrible idea." She knew he probably wasn't listening; the man had a habit of falling asleep as soon as he hit the sheets. Being able to ignore noises that weren't hazardous to him was probably a skill he had developed during several years serving as a Captain in the Queen's navy. "All it's gotten me is cold, aching, and bitter." The sound of the tavern below them was wafting up through the cracks in the floor. It was going to be a tough night for sleep: she could hear the drunks arguing already. Hissing in irritation she turned so she was facing the man she had been ordered to aid in her impossible task. Arthur was facing her as well, resting his head on his upright palm proving her to be incorrect about him not listening. "I'm beginning to think you like this job." A small smirk formed on her partner's lips.

"Get to go wherever I want, don't I? Get to pick my own men, drink when I please, wear what I like. I think I might grow out my hair." He grinned sleepily "I was never too good at following direct orders. I need a long leash or I misbehave." _At least he's honest_, she thought bitterly as she slumped back onto her bedding.

"Don't you have family back home though? Don't you miss being around them?" she demanded, thinking of the man she had been pursuing before the queen had requested she take the assignment. Roderick, a noble and a bit pompous at times but she was fond enough of him to ignore it, treated her like a woman unlike the men she worked with. One said man sighed after a moment of contemplation.

"I'll miss my family sure, for all they're bunch of bickering gits at times. They know that I'm a wanderer though, I've never been happy to stay in one place for too long." He admitted, winking one of his dazzling emerald eyes and grinning at her coyly.

"Stupid pirate." She grunted, rolling over and receiving a cackle from the man.

"That's Captain Stupid Pirate to you lass."

~X~

Elizabeta felt her eye twitch as the well muscled man she and Arthur had been interviewing repeated the same question he had been asking for the past few moments of their conversation.

"So I _wouldn't _be in the military?" Arthur's hand snaked out to stop Elizabeta from standing and cracking the incompetent man on the skull with her sword hilt.

"Once again, you would not be enlisted in the military; you would be considered a specialty squad of trained civilians when the military itself could not respond to certain distress calls. If the situation was a political one, and they could not risk insulting either party, they would send us. Also, we would constantly be on patrol for bandits and such." Arthur explained more calmly than Elizabeta could fathom attempting at that moment, the man nodded slowly.

"An' we'd be paid?" The man grunted, his scarred face contemplating with a limited amount of intelligence.

"You'd receive a soldier's wage, sixteen gold pieces at the beginning of each month to do with as you please."Arthur's face was passive as the man stroked his flaming red beard, contemplating the implications of being in a paid position. "What do you say, chap? We have several other applicants to interview mind."

"I'll have to think about it. Are you gonna be here tomorrow?" The man demanded.

"No way in…" Elizabeta began, but a sharp kick under the table quickly silenced her. Glaring at the man with sharp bottle green eyes she huffed and pouted her thick red lips.

"We'll be here tomorrow morning at dawn. Be here, by the stables if you wish to accompany us." Arthur smiled encouragingly. "Well met sir." The two echoed as they clasped wrists. "I hope to be seeing more of you."

"Me as well, you're a good man Kirkland." The man hiccupped, drunk out of his mind, as he staggered away.

"I'll be surprised if he remembers this in the morning." Elizabeta snorted as he staggered away.

"You'd be surprised what men can remember when they're drunk. I had one sailor I worked with for a bit who remembered things better when he was piss out of his mind drunk then when he was sober." Arthur chuckled, situating himself in his chair with a groan of irritation. "This is taking longer than I expected."He grumbled, his eyes locking onto something outside. Frowning he moved a bit to the side in order to get a better look out the cracked window. She retaliated by moving in front of him triumphantly.

"What was that?" She grinned, leaning in a bit more so that he was forced to face her. "Was that…a complaint, Captain Kirkland?" She demanded victoriously. Arthur smirked from under a dusting of bangs and shrugged, his eyes never leaving the window.

"Can't be happy all the time, can I? That'd be downright disturbing. Now…MOVE!" He bellowed, grabbing her and falling back in his chair so that they slid back into a nook behind the bar. Squeaking she opened her mouth to extract a reason for the attack from the man, she was cut short when the ground lurched like a great wave beneath her bruised form, the wall that Arthur had been watching splitting open with a crunch of wood and steel.

Unable to see who entered through the well charred hole as Arthur pulled her into a sitting position and unsheathed his sword with a yell, Elizabeta instantly began to curse her stupidity for ignoring the signs that Arthur had easily picked up. Screams erupted in the tavern as barmaids and drunkards alike tumbled and fell to the ground. Few managed to continue standing as a great roar filled the air, the cry of a berserker on a rampage, shaking dust and straw from the rafters as an explosion reverberated from outside. Yelping despite herself, Elizabeta leapt to her feet at the same time as Arthur.

"I knew I recognized that uniform."Arthur spat, grabbing Elizabeta's arm and dragging her into a back room. "Berserkers, from one of the Northern tribes." He explained in a forced whisper as she opened her mouth to question him. "These particular blokes left the tribes to take up raiding. I was hoping that this far West we wouldn't have a problem, but…damn. Never mind." He growled, rushing to one of the stain glass windows and smashing it out with a chair he hefted from the ground.

Berserkers were men Elizabeta had heard of only in passing or in classrooms in the palace. They were men with the horrifying ability to lose control during battle, to kill without remorse or pain. Only a killing blow would stop them when they were in their berserker state. Otherwise, they would continue to pillage and murder anyone in their path until their bodies collapse from exhaustion or the bloodlust dispersed.

They were known for killing off entire squads of soldiers, destroying cities, and in one case: killing a magician King. The King that Elizabeta had served so loyally had been slaughtered when she was away on other duties, the grief that swelled throughout the nation had been unbearable. Returning had been an experience she never wanted to relive. She had loved her king, and now he was gone because of the men currently slaughtering villagers for a few coins.

"Aren't we going to fight them?" She demanded lividly, her adrenaline pumping through her ears. Arthur blew a harsh breath through his teeth.

"No, we don't have the man power. There's too many of them, believe me." He grumbled,

"But what about the villagers? They've treated us with nothing but kindness and you're saying we should just abandon them?" Arthur flinched at her tone as if she had struck him. Shaking his head he sighed.

"Have you ever fought a berserker before?" He demanded harshly grabbing onto her shoulders and clenching his fists in an almost painful way. "Have you ever seen what a single man can DO when he's out of his mind and feels no pain?" She bit her lip, not sure how to respond.

"No, but I know it is our duty to save these people." She stammered, clearing her throat before she continued. "If we die, we die, but we have completed our mission to the best of our abilities." Arthur continued staring at her a moment, his eyes locking with hers in a silent dual for dominance.

"Hahaha…hahahaha." He laughed nervously, releasing her and stepping back with a groan of distress. "Alright, but this is on you Eliza. I'd really love to live through this." He grumbled pulling out his weapon of choice, an ornate curved cutlass he kept at his side at all times. "Ok, do we have a plan?" He demanded, peeking out through the shattered window into the steadily burning town.

"I thought you were the one who fought with these ruffians before!" She squeaked. Arthur's eyes immediately darkened, a small smile forming on the man's face as he lifted his shirt a bit, revealing the long scar that traced from his naval to his right shoulder. Ragged and colorless from years of healing it stood out angrily against his sun-kissed skin, the defacement was a jarring glance at the realities she might soon be facing.

"I faced them all right, but it was one of them and there were five of us. Only my first mate and I survived." Arthur explained hurriedly.

"How many are out there…predictably?" She demanded.

"Oh I don't know…one to four…more than that would be stupid for the bandits themselves, plus their cronies." Arthur sighed, rolling a small silver cross between his fingertips. "I say we pick them off…from the shadows. Do _not _let them see you. Once they see you, the game is over." Arthur stated ominously. "Ready?"

"Not so sure anymore." She admitted

"Good." He laughed, his head rolling back for a minute as he cackled. "Cause neither am I." He smirked, pulling her into the street. "Stay with me!" He bellowed at her. Moving to the main road he quickly set himself to scouting the area. "Guard my rear." She jumped when he snapped; having forgotten in a moment of panic, turning swiftly she flushed at the idea that she had forgotten one of the most basic rules of fighting: always guard the rear.

"How many?" She hissed after a moment paused.

"Just…two." He breathed a small sigh of relief. "I think an archer took out one of them…poor bloke." Elizabeta assumed he wasn't speaking about the berserker when she saw him flinch, sneaking a peek she wished she hadn't as the bloody streaks of gore and limbs that used to be a man found its way into her line of sight. "Don't you dare vomit on me now." Arthur glared when she gagged. "You'll need that ale you guzzled earlier now more than ever." Nodding grimly she forced herself to swallow, shuddering slightly at the unusual feeling. "We could still retreat you know." He pointed out calmly, fastening his eyes on hers.

"No, we can't." She smiled shakily. Arthur smiled back bleakly and nodded.

"So much for convincing you to be sane."

~X~

Sneaking up behind a berserker was proving more challenging than she imagined, he gave the impression that he had eyes everywhere, his motions as wild as a feral animal. Shooting a sign at Arthur from across a smoldering street she swallowed apprehensively when he started to intact his plan.

She watched as he slid up onto the roof above the man turned demon and began hacking at the support system of the balcony.

The plan was a simple one, while the second berserker was busily mutilating others across the town they would take out the first beast by crushing him under the weight of a building. If for some reason the plan was an unsuccessful one, they would resort to head on attacks.

A crack filled the air as the wood building collapse, Elizabeta cringed as Arthur leapt free, clinging onto an adjacent tree his face red with the strain of holding himself up. Positive that the man was safe at least for the moment, Elizabeta turned her attention to the ruble now covering the berserker. Not seeing any movement she smiled giddily, unsheathing her sword once again she began to creep forward gradually. Skirting around the mess of blood and gore surrounding the berserker's area of destruction she gagged and fought the urge to cover her nose as she got ever closer.

"I think…I think he's dead…haha…I think we did it Arthur!" she cried when she could see no movement under the ruble. Turning away she beamed at the flushed man who chuckled hoarsely in response.

"I suppose it was a good plan after all. Let's _never_ do it again." He snapped, his chest heaving from the climb down from the tree. She began to laugh quietly, her eyes wide with the realization of what they had just accomplished. "Eliza remember we still have the other to…Eliza MOVE!" Elizabeta had no time to react as the blow struck her. Yelping she rolled into the attack, landing heavily on her right side but stopping herself from crashing into the building she had previously been hiding behind. Rotating she felt her heart stop in her chest.

The berserker was _alive._

His gaze was locked onto her form, his mouth frothing and snarling like some sort of rabid dog or bear. Laughing in his madness the man lurched forward with an ax in his hand the size of her torso, he meant to kill her and she wasn't sure if she had much chance of stopping him.

"Eliza!" Arthur roared, his sword drawn as he rushed to her aid.

"RUN! Arthur just run! GO! I don't want both of us to die!" She ordered her sword up in a defensive position as the beast-man lumbered towards her. Arthur seemed to hesitate, the years of looking out for himself seeming to take its toll on his decision. She didn't have time to watch for his verdict as the berserker took his first swing at her.

The axe flashed just over her head as she threw herself to the ground, the building behind her splitting open as if it held no resistance to the swing. Repressing a scream she rolled, jabbing up with her blade she was not surprised when he quickly repelled her move and slammed her backwards with the same force as a hurricane. Winded Elizabeta bounced across the ground and landed once again with a thud. Gasping she staggered to her feet.

She had fought trolls, bandits, giants, but she had never experienced the strength and lethal potential this man possessed in his attacks. He was already above her, lifting up her weapon she couldn't stop the scream of pain that burst into her throat as his ax collided with her blade with a screech of agonizing steel threatening to snap under pressure. She felt her muscles popping under her skin, felt the bones creaking and groaning. How was it possible, that one man could hold the power to shatter arms with a single blow?

He lifted his ax again, ready to finish her off with a second wallop. Gasping she staggered backwards, managing to barely hold up her sword as he stalked forward. The man was almost upon her when Arthur finally acted; with a battle cry meant to draw the beast away from Elizabeta he charged forward, his blade aimed for the man's heart. Elizabeta shouted a warning, but it came too late as the berserker rotated mid-step, his ax snaking up and locking with Arthur's.

"Blast it all…" Arthur rasped, his eyes bulging under the strain. Kicking out Arthur managed to break away momentarily when the man doubled over. "Eliza, are you alright?" He demanded as Elizabeta stood shakily and attempted to heft her weapon up past her waist.

"I'm fine. Watch yourself." She spat out through her clenched teeth, the sword she had been wielding since she was a child weighing more than she could ever remember. "Don't let your guard down because of me." Arthur nodded grimly, his sword raised as the berserker straightened once again.

The berserker struck out with the butt of his ax this time, catching Arthur off guard. Flying backwards the pirate landed against the stables with a crash. Elizabeta caught the sound of a small grunt of pain as the wall collapsed under the force of the attack and Arthur disappeared into the black depths of the blazing stables. Her breath catching in her throat she realized she had no time to sit and wait for Arthur to reemerge as the Berserker turned on her.

_Come on Iggy…get up. Get UP. _She begged inwardly wondering if it was possible that the man's chest could have caved in under such a blow. Was she alone now?

Coal black eyes narrowed as a new prey was found. Elizabeta's fight or flight instinct was screaming for her to run, but she knew if she ran he would just slaughter her faster. She was choosing between the death of a warrior and that of a coward.

Raising her blade once more she narrowed her eyes.

"In the name of the King!" She roared charging forward with her sword held up defiantly.

She didn't even remember colliding.


	2. Chapter 2

There was no other explanation for her current lack of general agony, she was dead. She had to be. Who knew that death would be so warm? She thought hazily attempting to open her eyes but finding them sealed with sleep. Something wrapped around her arms prevented her from moving much and underneath her some unidentified force joggled and bumped along beneath her.

Death was outlandishly comparable to riding a horse.

In fact, it was so similar that she found herself hearing the soft noises of a contented horse as she shifted her eyes under her heavy lids. It seemed as though she sat there for hours simply listening to the carriage as she fought to regain consciousness, her eyes never seemed willing to open even when the rattling of wood and the joggling beneath her came to a shaky stop.

"Eliza?" Someone was shaking her sending a shooting pain up her dully aching shoulders. Perhaps she wasn't dead after all? The shaking continued even as she fought to awaken, her head throbbing almost as bad as her arms. Finally, with a bit of effort she managed to unclench the sealed lids and stare exhaustedly up at the annoyance. Wincing at the stream of sunlight that filled the diminutive, area around her she stared dazedly back at a relieved looking blur. "Thank God…" A recognizable voice sighed releasing her shoulders so that she could swivel around to face him. Arthur grinned back at her as he slumped against a wooden bench across from her. "I thought you'd never recover." He admitted with a laugh handing her a canteen she found to be filled with crisp clean water when she placed it to her lips.

"Where…?" She began, her eyes examining what appeared to be the inside a small wagon, her mind too blurry to comprehend her position.

"Inside one of our rescuer's carriages." He explained calmly leaning up against the back wall and messaging his bandaged forehead. "After I crashed into that wall, I don't remember much either, but according to Gilbert…oh he's one of the men who saved our skins…they managed to take out the berserker you were colliding with just before he bashed in your foolish prideful skull." Elizabeta stared back at him, not understanding. "You nearly died Elizabeta." He stated harshly, "I thought you had more sense than to take on a Berserker on your own, I thought you would have run…when I heard that you charged the beast head on…" He broke off, his eyes flashing with anger. Whether or not the anger was directed at her or himself, Elizabeta decided it was not worth asking.

"Who was it that saved us?" She demanded, her voice slowly returning though it was still rough and scratchy even in her own ears. He sighed noticeably, tapping his fingers against the wood of the carriage as he continued.

"A group of mercenaries, they were passing through the area when they saw the smoke and figured what was happening. They have…grudges…against our berserker friends. I woke up in time to see two of them taking out the second berserker while the other's finished off the one that had been slaughtering you." He elucidated gruffly. "I've been speaking with them for the past few days, they're a rather organized group and they even have a set of mages. The mages, twins actually, are the ones who took care of your injuries." Elizabeta nodded slowly, her question as to why she was not in excruciating pain dying in her throat.

"Mercenaries? What possessed them take such pity on us? I see no reasons as to why they should take us in." She stated harshly. Arthur responded with a small smile, rolling his shoulders as he stood he extended his hand and helped her to stand shakily.

"You have to meet these particular mercenaries. They aren't like any I've ever encountered before." She blinked, not sure what to make of his response, but allowed him to half lead, half drag her to the cabin door. "And believe me, lass, I've dealt with my share of mercenaries." Elizabeta blinked in confusion, but allowed the man to all but drag her from the room, mostly for the reasons that she was still too weak to move on her own without tumbling back down again.

Outside of her private recovery room was a bustle of life. A dozen or so men moved busily between horses and tents as they prepared a meal, repaired damaged armor, and otherwise chatted animatedly around a blazing fire. It looked more like a gypsy camp, with singing and laughing, then the cold hearted air of a mercenary camp. Shooting a look at Arthur she raised an eyebrow, he simply shrugged his eyes sparkling in amusement at her shock.

"So _Dornröschen_ has finally risen from her bed!" A boisterous voice laughed from the fire pit. Elizabeta followed the sound of the outburst and found a pair of ruby eyes locked in on her. "_Guten morgen _sunshine." He winked as he strutted up to Elizabeta and her partner. Elizabeta frowned as she studied the man. He was well muscled which was to be expected of any mercenary worth his salt. With steel colored hair, blood red irises, and a scar that traced over the leftmost eye, he looked as if he would be a terrifying opponent on the battle field. But, for all his threatening appearances, Elizabeta couldn't help but notice an odd handsomeness to his scarred face, especially so when he smiled.

"Elizabeta this is Gilbert Beillschmidt, he's the man I was telling you about earlier." Arthur stated, breaking her attention away from the mercenary for a moment.

"Aww…Arthur you don't need to talk about me! My awesomeness explains itself." The man chuckled heartily extending a hand for the woman to grip.

"A pleasure." Elizabeta nodded, extending her own hand and smiling slightly when the man clasped hers firmly. His grasp, she found, was firm but not constricting like most men she had the pleasure of interacting with.

"A pleasure indeed, it's good to see you up and about." Gilbert smirked squeezing her hand once more and releasing, allowing her limb to fall back into place at her side. "Glad to see that Feliciano actually has his uses…you don't look half as bad as you did when we dragged you out of that pile of rubble." Elizabeta felt her smile fall a bit as the man laughed in a rather unusual way, his eyes sparkling as if her near death was humorous. It didn't help that Arthur was laughing too. "Hey hey, don't look so pissed, we all screw up once in awhile right? I mean who hasn't tried to take on a berserker with two broken arms! Kesese OW!" Elizabeta had struck him on the cranium with her fist, not permanently damaging anything but leaving a good sized lump as a reminder of his stupidity. Arthur frowned at her with a '_Please don't strike the man who saved you' s_ort of look "Ok ok! Let's introduce you to the crew before you kick my sorry ass!" She couldn't believe it, the man was actually laughing. Rubbing his head with a wince he grinned back at her wolfishly and waved her towards the crowd that was forming around the fire pit.

"There she is!" One of the men, a blonde haired blue eyed Nordic whose hair stuck up strangely under a small black hat, cheered lifting up his pint of ale he saluted her with a dazzling white smile. "Good to see you on your feet Ma'am."

"Thank you, and its Elizabeta." She smiled accepting the handshake he offered, she hated formalities despite all the shiny medals she had earned in her years as a commanding officer in the Queens army.

"Mathius! The name's Mathius, and this is Nikolai, he's the one who spotted you and big-brows tussling with that berserker!" He laughed patting his unemotional looking friend on the back. Elizabeta couldn't stop the smirk from forming as Arthur sputtered out his protests, turning as red as the maroon tunic Mathius sported. Turning to the man that Mathius had named Nikolai she bowed slightly to show her gratitude.

"Thank you."

"I didn't save you." Nikolai muttered, picking at his food in a distracted fashion. Mathius seemed unperturbed by the man's lack of enthusiasm as he turned back to Elizabeta.

"Don't let him get to you. Nikolai is just a bitter old man!" Mathius admitted loudly shooting a look at a smaller boy with a similar facial structure to the passive Nikolai. "Isn't that right Isu?" Isu looked up and shrugged attempting to ignore a boy staring pathetically over his shoulder his eating knife extended towards the remainders of a pasty sitting on the pale blonde's plate. "The boy about to get his food stolen is Isu, the thief is Alfred." Mathius clarified. The first mentioned boy, Isu, sighed and shooting a look down at his half empty plate handed it reluctantly to the greedily staring man next to him. The man let out a small cheer and snatched the plate away, setting himself to devouring it before Isu could change his mind.

"Alfred you pig! Didn't you get enough?" Gilbert laughed from Elizabeta's side when the boy looked up again, his bright cerulean eyes sparkling with good humor.

"I'm a growing boy what can I say?" The boy, Alfred, shrugged nonchalantly.

"You'll be growing more out than up if you keep eating like that." Arthur put in, receiving a confused look from Elizabeta. Arthur merely shrugged and gestured for her to continue being friendly.

"Is this everyone in your group?" Elizabeta asked sleepily after shaking off the more than friendly handshake from a man named Francis.

"Nope. Kesese…You still haven't met meine bruder and few others!" Gilbert admitted, "But they won't be back for awhile, they're still in town getting supplies and aren't as awesomely fast as I am. You've been out for a few days so we haven't traveled as far as we normally do and the game is a bit sparse." Elizabeta felt her jaw drop.

"_A few days?"_She hissed through her teeth turning on her traveling companion lividly. "Arthur you let them take care of us for **days**?" Arthur nodded slowly, his seemingly never ending smile forming even stronger on his face. It was a look she was beginning to associate with the fact that Arthur knew something and once again, she was being left out of the loop.

"Well you see Eliza…it's sort of a funny story actually." Arthur drawled, maintaining the 'I've know something you don't' look. "While you were asleep Gilbert and I had a little bit of a conversation and…" For once he couldn't wait for her to prod the information out of him, because just as he opened his mouth for the big reveal Gilbert beat him to the punch.

"Kesesese! Well I would hope we took care of you. After all…we're your new awesome civilian militia!"

**~X~**

Elizabeta was still confused, she couldn't understand how she could fall asleep (with a bit of help from a Berserker) a militialess officer without a chance in the world to succeed at her mission, and wake up with an almost militarily organized group of battle hardened men willing to put their swords to the queen's service.

Still too dazed to fully understand Arthur's explanation, she was left sitting with a magically warmed rock pressed against her aching shoulder blades. She was allowing Arthur to deal with all the technicalities and document works that had to be filled out and sent via messenger hawk to the queen, her head hurt too much to stare at any sort of document.

Instead she sat with the group that had recently returned from the town with fresh supplies. She found their company to be much more relaxing, especially since the mages had been included in the previously absent group.

Feliciano, a bubbly brunette mage with an accent from lands bordering the Seas in the south, sat animatedly at her side explaining the social layout of the group much to his brother's disgust. Romano, his twin brother, was Feliciano's opposite in every way imaginable. When Feliciano smiled Romano frowned, when Feliciano laughed Romano grumbled. Even when they did spells Feliciano's magic blazed bright white while Romano's smoldered dark black. If they didn't look so similar, Elizabeta would have sworn they couldn't be related at all.

"So...you guys are alright with Gilbert volunteering you for the militia?" Elizabeta demanded, receiving, as she expected, mixed reviews.

"He never asked my opinion! I say hell no! That bastardo should never have gotten involved in that stupid raid in the first place." Romano steamed lividly as he stirred what Elizabeta assumed was something she probably shouldn't eat when it spat angrily and flared up dangerously.

"Ve~…as long as I stay with Ludwig I don't care! That's why we joined in the first place anyway!" Feliciano cooed, obviously not noticing the sparking concoction, shooting a glance at the mentioned man with an adoring look in his eyes. Ludwig, Gilbert's younger though larger and blonde brother, turned away with a blush staining his pale skin.

"I didn't join because of your stupid potato bastard!" Romano snarled waving his stirring stick at his brother with a scowl. "I joined to make sure you didn't get your stupid ass killed! And to keep _his_ hands off of you!" Elizabeta smiled despite herself as a red cheeked Ludwig groaned and buried his face in his palms.

"Calm down Roma, you're just going to give yourself a sore throat again, amigo." Elizabeta smiled as the previously silent man sitting to her immediate right spoke. The man, Antonio, turned out to be one of the men who had leapt almost immediately to her aid, and she could understand why. He seemed to be almost too nice for his own good, his smile never faded. Even when he had scolded her for rushing a Berserker alone, his eyes had been sparkling. "Besides you're upsetting Elizabeta!" He pointed out in what could almost be considered as a cautionary tone.

"_Taci_! What do I care if I upset the bimbo?" Romano snapped though his tone lightened considerably and his stirring continued.

"Antonio…aren't you supposed to be over with Francis and Gilbert? You're normally involved in these negotiations." Ludwig muttered from his palms.

"They can handle that mess on their own. I'm not sure what help I'd be." Antonio shrugged, leaning back against a stack of dry logs ready to be tossed into the fire pit. "Besides politics are boring." He grinned lazily, his eyes sparkling good naturedly. The group sat in silence for a moment, as if waiting for Elizabeta to ask the question she had been dying to ask.

"Tell me, Antonio…" She began, receiving instant attention from the man. "Why did you come to save us that night, and what possessed you to want to join a militia you've never even heard of?" Her tone was questioning, and hopefully not as ungrateful as she thought it might be. Antonio sighed and rolled his shoulders, biting his lip as he contemplated his answer.

"Well I couldn't just let you die, tonta. I've got a soft spot for damsels in distress." He winked before continuing. "As for the militia, I've wanted to be in the military since I was young." He admitted with a smile. "So did most the boys in our little village, but mama needed me home to work the fields when mi papá was killed in a fire. After I started working the farm I had no reason to leave it...that is until the raid." The man's light eyes turned a sad emerald as he thought of the correct way to continue.

"We all lost someone that night." Ludwig continued for the struggling man."Antonio lost his mother. Feliciano and Romano lost their grandfather. I lost meine mutter, vater, and a few younger siblings. Gilbert is all I have left. The only reason we were spared is because we were out hunting, the six of us. Francis, Gilbert, Antonio, Feli, Romano, and I were nowhere near the village when it was attacked by the berserkers."

"My sympathies. I've heard of it happening quiet frequently since the death of the King." She muttered considerately gently patting Antonio on the shoulder. Antonio smiled sadly, but he didn't take long to recover. Straightening he saluted her proudly.

"We've had our time to grieve; now it's the time to act. We've built up the forces; everyone in our camp has some skill that adds to our aptitude. Point us in a direction Elizabeta, and we'll get the job done."

~X~

** Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far. It really helps me to keep updating especially if I'm feeling lazy =). Keep the reviews coming and I'll make sure to keep the story updated. **

** Word Bank: **_Dornröschen – _**Sleeping Beauty, the origonal German version!**

** Tonta – Silly or dummy, Spanish **

** Taci – Shut up, Italian**


	3. Chapter 3

The signal was nothing more than a twitch of a finger. Elizabeta nodded her understanding as Antonio disappeared into the darkness of the tent. Over the past month, Elizabeta had learned that Antonio was deadly efficient at kills that needed to be dealt out silently, a talent she used to her advantage when raiding bandit camps. The same plan they were using currently, had been successful during the three raids they had completed during their short service together:

Antonio would take out the berserkers, slipping into their tent and slitting their throats was the easiest way to dispose of the men without losing lives on their own side. Once they were sure the most dangerous element of the faction was no longer a threat, they would stir up the underlings. By the time they reached that particular part of the plan, she knew that the fight was long over.

Francis sat nervously at her side, his hand resting on his sword hilt as his azure eyes followed his friend's movements expectantly. Only the slightest tremble in his slender fingers gave away suppressed doubts he might be feeling.

Elizabeta started as she felt someone move in behind her, a gust warm breath dusting against the back of her neck as someone leaned in to whisper in her ear. She had to keep her hands at clenched at her side to keep from striking out at the man for sneaking up on her.

"Arthur is worried their might be another berserker…across the camp." Gilbert explained, his voice barely dusting her eardrums to assure no wandering lookouts could overhear him.

"Tell Nikolai he's going to have to take care of the other." She hissed, trying to ignore the quiver in her heart she sometimes developed when Gilbert was by her side. Contemplating quickly she sat back on her heels and rotated towards the man. His ruby eyes reflected the glow of the campfire below them, she smiled despite herself and leaned in to whisper: "If he takes Mathius and Alfred I'm sure he'd be fine."

"Ja, that's what Arthur was thinking. I was just looking to get your second opinion." He chuckled patting her on the back and disappearing from her side without as much as a crunch of dry leaves. She had to admit she was oddly surprised at how quietly he could move for such a sturdy fellow.

Revolving back to the tent where Antonio had disappeared she found herself chewing on the inside of her lip, a habit her mother had scorned but she had never been able to break. If Antonio failed, if he slipped up even slightly, not only would he die, they might all join him soon after.

She knew she should have more faith, Antonio had never made any errors that she had noted, but it was hard when she was not there to safeguard his back if necessary. It would be easier to relax, she noted numbly, if Francis didn't seem so nervous.

She barely noticed the flash of movement as Nikolai received his orders and moved into the bushes with Mathius and Alfred close behind. Gilbert returned to her side the moment Nikolai disappeared, his presence reassuring as she waited for the plan to unfold.

She didn't have to wait long, a few moments after Nikolai disappeared she caught a flash of light from the bushes from across the camp, the sign that Romano was in position and that the attack should commence as quickly as possible.

Pulling out her own sword, she casted a reflection to where Arthur was sitting. He responded quickly for her to continue and she gestured for Gilbert and Francis to follow her closely. Immediately she felt the men fall into position at her side.

Sliding down into the soft grasses of the small valley camp she attempted to make as diminutive noise as possible as she straightened. The tent where Antonio had vanished would be their portal into the heart of the tents, the fastest way to take out the unwitting bandits.

They never expected an attack to come from their own tents.

Gilbert snagged onto her arm right as she went to pull back the tent flap, pulling a finger to his lips he gestured that he wanted to go first. She frowned. Fighting the urge to smack him across the face for being silly, she scowled fiercely at him. He didn't seem willing to budge on the subject, and sadly she had no time to argue. Grudgingly she allowed him to move ahead of her.

He smiled back at her with a wink, gently tugging back the flap with his sword at the ready. Furiously she followed, trying her best to ignore the amused smirk on Francis' face.

The tent was eerily silent inside, the air coated with the slightest twinge of blood. Immediately she felt the concern that perhaps Antonio had failed in his mission, but instead of a burst of blood and gore as they were all torn to bits by a livid berserker, Antonio appeared at the opening, a dagger dripping black blood clasped delicately in his shuddering hands. Wordlessly, he waved for them to move quickly, all but pulling Gilbert into the tent as Elizabeta and Francis followed guardedly behind them.

The berserker was, as expected, dead in his bed. It was too dark to see what Antonio had actually done to the man, but she assumed it had been a clean slice through the jugular. At first, she was tempted to inquire, but decided that knowing the actual fate of the bandit wouldn't improve her conscious as she instead turned her attention to where the three men were gathered at the entrance of the tent, facing the camp fire.

If they had estimated correctly, there were approximately fifteen men and five women in the camp. A number considerably smaller than those of the other camps they had raided during their time together. It was no time to get overconfident though, because they all knew the dangers of such emotions. For all they knew, this group was smaller for the simple reasoning that they didn't needthe extra men.

Kneeling down, she managed to peek through a gap in the tent's seams that allowed her to see the men situated around the fire. Several of them sat around the pit, about ten or so. The remaining members had long retired to their tents and would be dealt with as soon as the others were disposed of. Leaning in, she could just barely make out what they were discussing.

"…couldn't possibly send anyone after us." One of the larger men grunted, taking a puff of smoke from his pipe. Based on the ostentatious armor and expensive weapons Elizabeta would put money on the fact he was their leader. "The terrain is too rocky for horses, and I can't think o' many lords willin' to risk soldiers to a berserker."

"What about those other camps, Svierge? I've been hearing rumors that the Queen has been setting aside soldiers whose specialty it is to take out the bandit camps." One of his women protested, her muscles rippling under leather armor.

"That's why I told y' not to be sticking your nose around those blasted pubs Illeta! Gossip the lot of it! This new Queen has no more guts than her husband did. She's just trying to seem stronger, to try and scare those who killed her dickless husband." Elizabeta visibly stiffened, her lip curling back over her teeth. That man was hers; anyone who insulted her King was dead in her mind. "I only wish I could have been the one to kill him."

"So yer sayin' we should jus' ignore the rumors boss?" Another male demanded, leaning up against a barrel only three feet away from Elizabeta.

"Aye. Ignore 'em till I have proof!" He snapped, slamming his fist against his thigh angrily.

Elizabeta had enough. Her sword drawn she made her move.

The men had no idea what hit them, none of them had time to move as Elizabeta hit her first target. Slamming her blade through the man who had spoken from the barrel she unleashed a battle cry meant to signal the rest of her group.

Gilbert, Antonio, and Francis moved in beside her, leaping at the scrambling bandits like demons released from the maws of hell. Across the camp, Mathius, Alfred, and Nicolai appeared in the doorway of the second berserker's tent, their swords drawn and ready to slaughter those attempting to flee.

"Don't run you sons of bitches!" Svierge roared, using the butt of his ax to slam Francis backwards and into a crate, leaving him stunned. Before he could so much as raise his ax to strike him a second time both Antonio and Gilbert had moved in front of their fallen companion, sword and ax flashing dangerously. "Stand and fight like men!" He bellowed as he defended feverishly against Gilbert's attacks and Antonio turned to help Francis to his feet.

Several of his men obeyed, forming a uniformed line almost immediately. Elizabeta frowned; she hadn't expected them to be so organized.

The three men faced off at her as Nikolai took up a defensive position at her left side, his movements catlike compared to her gruffer attacks. She had no time to acknowledge his presence though, for the men had already made their attempt at an attack. Lurching forward awkwardly they struck out at her right side, hoping to weaken her on her undefended arm.

Expecting such a move she ducked her shoulder, causing the first of the men to stagger past her with a shout of fear. Rotating on her heel she drove her sword into his unprotected lower back while jerking her shield up to deflect the second man's attack.

Ignoring the jarring twinge of pain in her shield arm as her shield dented with a crash under his hammer, she shoved upwards with a roar driving the man into the fire pit. His shout of agony was enough to tell her that his shoe and leg had burst into flame. Smirking, she utilized his distraction and swung her shield away leaving him open to her sword as it passed cleanly through the soft flesh beneath his sternum.

He fell with a shriek of agony as she turned to where Nikolai was finishing off his opponent, his face and jerkin splattered with ruby blood. He nodded at her to assure her that he was uninjured. Elizabeta smiled and nodded, diving back into the fray and headed back to where Gilbert was still struggling to defeat the leader of the bandits.

Elizabeta winced as the bandit lashed out and managed to catch Gilbert off guard sending him flying backwards into a tent where he was left struggling in vain to untangle himself from the mess of fabric. The leader of the group, who now stood alone amongst his fallen men, would have slain Gilbert where he lay if she hadn't intervened, yelling out her protest she lifted a rock from the ground and heaved it at the man's head.

Much to her horror it bounced off like a plastic ball, rolling back to her as he let out a roar of rage. Turning, the man spotted her with abhorrence dancing his eyes, bellowing like a bull he charged forward hell bent on slaughtering her where she stood. Luckily enough for her, he was slowed by a bleeding gash on his right side left by Gilbert before he fell. She was able to all but dance out of his way, striking him in the spine with the hilt of her sword. Unbalanced, he fell with a crash, skidding forward a few feet before coming to a bone wrenching halt against a pile of unused firewood.

Stalking up to the sputtering mass she kicked his ax out of his hands angrily.

"Surrender." She panted, her sword flicking up to his throat. He scowled venomously, but he was at least smart enough to know when he was defeated. Lifting his hands above his head he spat at her feet, but had nothing more to say. "You are under arrest."

~X~

"To a job well done!" Gilbert cheered, lifting his beer above his head with a shout of delight. The rest of the group joined him with cheers of their own before downing their tankards. "I knew we were awesome, but who else thought that was almost too easy?" He demanded, slinging his arm over Elizabeta's shoulder with a laugh.

"Only you would think lugging that fat ass bandit back into town was easy." She snorted, pushing his hand away from her shoulder and taking another drink from her tankard.

"He wasn't that heavy." Gilbert sniffed, "Besides…if I couldn't handle someone as pathetic as him I'd be ashamed of myself." He stated blatantly, taking a seat next to her with a grin he leaned his cheek against her shoulder. "Come on…I was pretty awesome. Say it." She sighed; lifting up her fist she bopped him on the forehead firmly enough to send him reeling.

"Can't even let him have his moment?" Arthur demanded over his shoulder with a chuckle, his drink sitting forgotten as he played dice with a pair of frustrated looking locals. "Mine again lads. Pay up." he ordered extending his gloved hand with a smile as he straightened. Grumbling the men obeyed, placing a few coppers into the pirate's palm. Pocketing the loot Arthur tipped his hat with a grin and swaggered over to the rest of his group. "Refill?" Arthur demanded pointing at Elizabeta's empty glass. She shook her head.

"You know I don't like to drink much. It makes me sick." She muttered, smiling and accepting a plate of food from Alfred as the boy took the place Gilbert had abandoned in search of more friendly company.

"Of course, completely slipped my mind." Arthur nodded, situating himself next to Antonio on the couch across from Elizabeta. "Where do we go from here?" He demanded snatching a piece of bread from Antonio's plate and stuffing it in his mouth before Antonio could protest.

"Hey! That was mine, culo!" Antonio whined, smacking the man on the arm angrily before turning back to his meal one eye warily on the pirate. Elizabeta rolled her eyes at the boys' immaturity as she continued.

"I say we go West, towards the capital." She put in, chuckling slightly as Antonio aimed and launched a spoonful of potatoes at the distracted Arthur's head. It landed with a wet _splat_ directly on Arthur's forehead, receiving a howl of laughter from Alfred and Antonio both. "Now would you two stop flirting for a minute and let me talk?" She demanded when Arthur wheeled on Antonio with a yowl of protest.

"We are not FLIRTING!" Antonio and Arthur both roared their eyes narrowed in on her face.

"I'm sure." She chuckled waving them off. "As I was saying Arthur, we have yet to return to the palace to introduce our boys to the queen. I know you'd rather avoid returning, but if we wait much longer she's going to send someone out to find us." Arthur seemed, unconvinced.

"I was hoping to stay out of Her Majesty's hair a bit longer." He muttered, taking a draft from his liquor, his fight with Antonio seemingly forgotten.

"We can't avoid the city forever." Elizabeta put in, ignoring the questioning glances from both Alfred and Antonio. "You're going to have to face her eventually." She mouthed so that only he would understand her. He didn't respond, instead he stood and moved back to the bar, quick to put off the idea till a further date.

"What was that all about?" Alfred demanded cautiously once the pirate was out of earshot. Elizabeta sighed, taking a bite of venison before continuing.

"I'm going to leave that story for him to tell. I don't want to make my way onto his bad side anymore tonight." Alfred seemed reluctant to drop the issue, but her reluctance to speak and a pretty serving girl showing interest in him was enough to draw him away.

She remained downstairs for a few more hours, allowing Gilbert, Francis, and Mathius to each drag her onto the dance floor once or twice. Despite her best efforts, she found herself a bit more tipsy than she intended to become, but did manage to sneak away before she would have regretted it in the morning.

The room she shared with Arthur was empty of life when she staggered to bed. Downstairs she could hear the pirate bantering on drunkenly with Ludwig and Feliciano and figured that she had a good chance to get some sleep before he managed to drag himself to his room, or, depending on the amount of ale he had ingested, be dragged to bed.

Settling into bed sorely she groaned as her muscles flinched and strained, the bruised tissue managing to cause her pain despite Romano and Feliciano's best efforts. Just outside the small window of her relatively unadorned room, she could see the stars rising sparkling overhead. Their dull glow was enough to make her smile contentedly as she fell into a dream plagued, restless, sleep.

** Tanks to all my subscribers and reviewers! You really make the hours of staring at a computer screen going 'What is wrong with this sentence!' worth it! Sorry it took me so long to update, but I was unfortunately stricken with a plague better known as the common cold. R&R! **


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur decided against waking Elizabeta when he dragged himself from bed the next morning. He felt he should at least get rid of his hangover before allowing her to try and convince him that they should return back to the capital. Groggily he managed to dress and pull his hair into a loose tail without much protest from his aching head and, much to his relief, without disturbing his heavily sleeping roommate.

Slipping from the room he cast a look out the un-shuttered window at the foot of the stair and smiled despite himself: how he managed to wake up every morning before the sun he had never been able to comprehend. None of the other occupants of the tavern, save the cook, were out and about when he moved through the drinking den. It was relaxing to know that he would have at least until dawn to himself.

The stables were just as empty as the rest of the house. Stuffing his hands into his pockets and producing an apple he had filched from the kitchen he extended his gift to the curiously staring mare he had called his own for years. The faithful beast, a fine-looking cream colored mount named Lady who stood at fourteen hands easily, nickered softly as she finished her snack and like the glutton she was, preceded to nose through his pockets in search of more treats.

Chuckling at the horse's exploit Arthur held up his hands defensively, showing that he had nothing more to provide for his favorite spoiled girl. Instead he began to run a brush across her soft hair, musing thoughtfully to himself as the horses awakened around him and began to chat quietly in their own language.

_Why was it that Elizabeta wanted so badly for them to return to the castle? It's not like she likes it all that much herself. The queen gave us orders…we don't have anything telling us that we __**have**__ to return!_ He thought angrily as he removed dust and hay from his horse's sides._ I'm sure the queen doesn't even want me back. Not after…no…I don't even want to think about it. _Mentally he swore, his brush strokes increasing enough to cause Lady to turn back towards him and let a small irritated snort out from her nostrils. Arthur smiled and scratched her nose in apology.

"I'm sorry My Lady. I'm acting childish." He admitted softly, sitting back on the small stool he found at the back of the stall he leaned up against the stable wall, allowing Lady to lip at his hair as he watched the other horses mill about their stalls sleepily.

That was until he heard the sound of at least six horses thundering up the road at a canter. Confused, Arthur looked to the horses around him and found them glancing up in interest towards the door. Above him he saw the stable hands stumbling from their beds to go greet the thundering company.

Subconsciously a hand flew to his side, profanities flying from his lips as he realized he carried no sword with him. Straightening from his sheltered position next to his questioning looking mare he edged to the stable door and peered out through a crack in the oak paneling.

And felt a wave of dismay flow over him as the gold and red uniform of the Queen's royal guard flashed boldly back at him above the heads of six heavily armed soldiers. The men were already speaking with the inn keeper, who was nodding excitedly and pointing towards the upstairs window where Elizabeta was most likely still dozing obliviously. The leader, dressed in all the fineries of a high standing knight, was familiar to Arthur despite the helmet covering his crimson hair and the years it had been since he had communicated with him.

His brother, a man he had not seen or attempted to contact for the past three years, was standing no more than twenty feet in front of him.

_Bloody hell…of course it would be __**that**__ stupid cunt who actually managed to track me down. _His emerald eyes narrowed dangerously. Of course he shouldn't have just believed his relatively erratic movements through the mountainous Northern reaches of the country would convince the Queen, and everyone else, that it would not be worth expending the effort tracking him down. That was just another mistake he would have to add to his list of decision making failures.

For a moment he considered fleeing, but the thought of leaving his group behind just to avoid seeing the Queen seemed a bit silly to him. No, for once he was going to be the better person.

"There goes convincing Eliza to stay incognito for a bit longer_." _He huffed turning away from the door and punching one of the wooden posts supporting the hayloft above him. Fury was the only thing coursing through his head as he attempted to wrestle with his natural instinct to run away from the conflict he knew he would be facing the moment he stepped foot in front of his brother. As if she was attempting to comfort, Lady whickered softly from her stall, drawing him from the void of depression he knew he would stumble into if he remained seated where he was.

_Gotta face them eventually…_

_**Not if I move across the ocean.**_

_Well __**there's **__a dandy idea. _

Arthur shrugged off the conflicting thoughts for a moment, and petting his concerned Lady on the forelock, stalked back into the Inn to retrieve his companions.

~X~

"Ah knew Ah'd find ye in some God forsaken tavern little brother!" Arthur cringed as his brother near about crushed him in an intentionally agonizing hug. Arthur's thoughts that his brother might be angry were quickly proven true as the man whispered furiously into his ear. "If ye thought ye could jus' run off an' leave with nae more than a drop of a hat as a warnin' and get away with it yer more stupid than ah thought ye were. As soon as we ain't in front o' this group yer gonna explain yerself, and it'd better be good or ah'll be tellin' everyone ye got yerself thrashed by an ogre because yer nae gonna be recognizable to anyone otherwise." Arthur swallowed nervously, knowing that his brother was far from joking.

"So what brings you all the way into the darkest reaches of the world?" Elizabeta demanded leaning sleepily against the door of the inn, giving Iain something else to think about that wasn't killing his brother. Iain's distraction allowed Arthur to wiggle free and scramble into the temporary safety that existed behind of his group.

"Her Majesty sent me to find ye. She said she has a new assignment for ye. Something that she thinks fits yer groups' talents a bit more than simply bashing in skulls." Iain explained calmly, picking his fingernails clean nonchalantly. "Says yer too smart for grunt work or something."

"What's the task?" Gilbert demanded, his crimson eyes sparkling with interest. Iain sighed noticeably.

"That's jus' it ain't it? I don't know…She said it's something she needs to explain personally. Whatever that means." He snorted, his beast of a war horse shifting next to him excitedly.

"So I'll take that as Arthur has just lost the argument and we're heading back to the capital?" Arthur wanted to smack Alfred as the youth piped up, why was it that the blue eyed youth seemed intent on giving his brother reason to beat him?

"Aye laddie. We're heading back to the capital alright, at a good pace. I intend on being back to the castle in no less than four days." Iain explained, cracking his knuckles in determination. "We had a slow pace coming up here, seeing as we were lookin' for ye. We're all ready to head out if you are." Arthur felt he should probably stay silent, despite his growing distress, but apparently Alfred didn't hold such feelings as he blurted out excitedly:

"We're ready! We've been stuck up here for at least a few days. We were gonna move out today anyway!"

"Alfred…" Elizabeta groaned, messaging her temples as she drew the boy back from what Arthur could only assume was a lurch towards the stables to get ready. "Let me and Arthur talk first ok?" She scolded, handing the boy back to the chuckling Gilbert. "Arthur?"

"Aye?" Arthur muttered glumly, trying not to look as miserable as he felt, but knowing he was failing miserably when his own voice sounded in his ears.

"Would you like to speak inside for a moment?" She asked calmly, grateful for the break from his brother's gaze, Arthur was inside before he managed to think of an answer. "Do you want to go back with us? I suppose if you want to play hooky for this one I could hold Iain back if you wanted to make a break for the back door." She sighed, in an almost teasing fashion as he slumped dejectedly in one of the less than comfortable chairs the inn contained.

"Eliza…I thought you knew me better than that." He muttered, hurt by the suggestion. "Iain found me square and fair, and it's time I faced the Queen like a big boy. I can't hold this grudge forever, not if I'm going to serve the kingdom to my best ability." Elizabeta nodded in understanding and gently clasped his shoulder.

"She knows your hurt Arthur. Why else would she let you pout in the woods for three years?" Elizabeta demanded with a small smile. He shrugged and leaned forward to place his face into his palms.

"You're the only one who knows besides The Queen herself, and I'm grateful that you've kept this secret as long as you have Eliza." He admitted softly, his voice barely audible through his hands.

"You know that I'd never betray you Arthur. A secret, no matter how great a secret it is, deserves to be kept…well at least in most cases." Arthur snorted at her joke but nodded slowly.

"I'll go back." He finally muttered. "I won't be happy about it, and they'd better not be expecting me to be terribly civil, but I'll go back to the city without a fight."

"And how do we deal with your brother?" Elizabeta demanded as Arthur stood once again.

"The same way I dealt with him for eighteen years. Ignore him as best as you can and take whatever beating he feels I have coming." Elizabeta flinched at the idea, but knew if anyone would know how to deal with the abrasive red head, it would be his brother. "Let's go get everyone saddled up; it's not polite to keep company waiting." He pointed out gruffly as he stalked back to the door leading to the cloud filled outside world.

~X~

"What's the capital like? Did you use to live there? Arthur…Arthur are you paying attention? Did you like it there? Are there a lot of fancy ladies there? Do you think they'd like someone like me? I've never seen a Lord before…or any type of noble for that matter 'cept for Elizabeta. You talk like a noble, and your brother is a knight so does that make _you _a noble Iggy?" Arthur felt his blood pressure rising as Alfred berated him mercilessly from all sides with questions he had no way of avoiding if he wanted to keep to the back of the group and away from Iain.

"Have you ever considered that perhaps you should ask one question at a time and then wait for a proper response you twit?" Arthur demanded a little harsher than he intended to. Alfred didn't seem perturbed in the least by his sour mood though, and instead responded with a goofy grin and a shrug of his shoulders. "Yes…I am a noble." Arthur admitted gruffly. "Not willingly, but I am."

"Is that so?"Antonio demanded from the other side of Arthur, seeming to gain more interest in their conversation then the one that Francis and Mathius were having on the topic of proper armor cleaning techniques.

"Yes, my deepest shame. I am in fact related to the pompous idiots attempting to run the country." Arthur sniffed.

"Are you like…a Lord or a Duke or…something?" Alfred demanded.

"My Mother is the Queen's closest consultant and my Father is the current standing General of the Queen's Royal Army if that sums it up nicely enough."Arthur admitted, figuring that if the truth would come out either way within the next few days, he wanted to be the one to tell his group. "I am my father's disappointment and my mother's shame.

Due to a situation that was completely out of my control, I am not welcomed in a majority of my sibling's homes, Iain being the only exception. Most Lords and Lady's avoid general contact with me so if you're looking for someone who can get you on friendly terms with a pretty Duchess then you'd better get on Iain's good side because for all he's an ass, at least he's still considered to be a potentially marriageable suitor in the courts." Arthur spat out, noting immediately that he had said much more than he had intended to and felt immediately ashamed of himself. "Sorry…I just…" he couldn't finish. Already he could imagine the looks on their faces as he revealed the task he had been forced to carry out many years ago; it would be the same as everyone else's. Disgust. Shock. Terror. Hate.

Ignoring the looks of concern appearing on the faces of the two men around him he prodded his horse into a heavy canter. He was sure Antonio shouted something after him, but he chose to ignore it as he shot ahead of the group without so much as a grunt of where he was planning on going.

**Sorry it took so long to update, but disease hindered my progress. What a terrible disease too…the common cold! O_o **

**I'll try to update more frequently, but then again…I said that last time didn't I? R&R**


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur spent a majority of the remainder of the trip alienated from his companions. As they rode ever closer to the castle, his disposition grew increasingly foul until no one could speak to him without receiving a spiteful comment in response. He honestly didn't mean to be so harsh with them, but every moment they grew closer to his one time home, he could feel the infuriated stares drilling into his skull increasing like a tick he couldn't rid himself of.

Sitting at the edge of the camp, he picked dejectedly at his plate full of unsweetened porridge which had been prepared by a remorseful Feliciano who swore he should have been able to put something more pleasurable together despite their meager supplies. Looking over his shoulder bitterly he wished for a moment that he could be as thrilled as some of his companions. Alfred and Feliciano in particular seemed unable to hold back their excitement for the coming visit to the castle.

Finding himself unable to finish the tasteless mush, he handed it over to one of the hunting dogs that Iain had brought along with him and leaned back up against the log he had taken residency of since they had stopped to make camp. He barely took note of the shift in temperature and lightening as the moon lifted further above him, but he did notice the sudden lack of conversation as a majority of the group retired for the night.

Temporarily roused from his thoughts he jumped half a foot in the air when a hand gently grasped his shoulder.

"Lo siento, Arthur. It's just me." Antonio's familiar voice chuckled as the man shifted and sat next to Arthur, ignoring the small glare of protest he received. "Now…what are you doing all the way over here, when the party is over there?" Antonio demanded quietly, his gaze locked on Arthur's stoic face. Arthur sighed and quickly averted his gaze away from his emerald eyed inquisitor, not wanting to see the questioning look on his companion's face.

"It's nothing." He could already tell that the pathetic excuse was not going to gain any space from the man so he attempted to dissuade him instead by shifting away from him. Antonio quickly responded though, scooting in closer and all but leaning against the pirate in order to assure Arthur that he had his undivided attention, no matter how unwanted it might be.

"You sure pout over nothing quite a bit then." Antonio teased his head leaned against Arthur's shoulder sleepily.

"Would you mind…?" Arthur demanded flustered, a blush growing over his cheeks at the sudden contact. Of course, Antonio ignored him blatantly, preferring to stay exactly where he was. "What do you want Antonio?"

"I want to sit here." Antonio stated as if it was manifestly obvious that his only intention was to be extremely comfortable in the one spot in the camp where his company was not sought out.

"Well fine, but don't expect company." Arthur snapped, turning his gaze away and back to the stars so that it would seem as if he wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to the man slouched against his person. They sat like that for some time, Antonio never once making a move to say anything.

Strangely enough, Arthur didn't mind the contact. It was a relief that Antonio hadn't come over to demand he answer for his flight from the group the day before or to question his reasoning for segregating himself from the group discarding his initial comment. He seemed content to just sit quietly at his side and grant Arthur the silent, unquestioning, company he desired.

"Do you remember when I told you that mi padre died in a fire, Arturo?" The sudden dialogue caused Arthur to jerk himself out of his silent musings and pay attention to Antonio.

"Yes?" Arthur nodded, a bit confused at the course the conversation was taking.

"Well…I only told you part of the truth." Antonio admitted softly. Arthur blinked in surprise, why on Earth would Antonio be telling him this? "You see, the night my father died, a fire had started in our neighbor's home and spread to our upstairs bedrooms before anyone in the village realized what was happening." Arthur listened patiently, waiting for the man to continue. "Mi padre wasn't in the house at the time; he was drinking at the bar down the street. He ran back to the house just in time to see the neighbor's roof collapse and the empty room next to mine burst into flame.

"He ran into the house before anyone could stop him, desperate to save me and mi madre. He found my mother in the hallway outside my room, trying to coax me into moving." Antonio's voice was choked as he continued. "I'm afraid of fire. So afraid that I won't even sit close to fire pits, campfires, anything that has flames bigger than a torch or candle." He admitted ashamedly, his face pressed into his hands. "It wasn't that I didn't want to move, it was I _couldn't_ move. It was like my legs were chained to the floor, the thought of being burned to death left me paralyzed." Arthur blinked, much to his horror, silent tears were streaking down Antonio's tan cheeks, just barely visible in the dull light of the moon above them. "Mi padre managed to pick me up and start working his way down the stairs, but the floor…he had been talking replacing certain areas that he knew were rotted for weeks, the fire left it even weaker…." The tears were streaking down his cheeks in torrents now, soaking through Arthur's shirt and leaving the pirate stunned. "His foot…it crashed through the floorboards just before the first floor. I went flying when he tripped, and landed just a few feet away from him. I actually hit the kitchen table which was only a few feet from the door…I still have the scar from where I hit it.

"I don't remember anything after that…just mi madre dragging me from the house. They stopped her from going back for him…Gilbert's parents I've been told…and the roof just fell on him. It just collapsed." Arthur could tell that Antonio wasn't talking to him anymore; he was more telling himself the story. "They told me it wasn't my fault, but it was! It was all my fault that mi padre was dead. I froze and he paid for it." Arthur waited for the man to have a moment before he spoke.

"It wasn't your fault Antonio. What happened to your father was an accident, nothing more. It wasn't your fault that the stairs broke; it wasn't your fault that your house caught on fire." Arthur insisted, squeezing the man's shoulders in what he hoped was a comforting fashion. "You shouldn't blame yourself. Your father didn't die to save you just to let you torture yourself for the rest of your life." Antonio nodded slowly, a small grateful smile on his tear streaked face. "At least you can say that it was an accident out of your control." Arthur murmured. Antonio frowned, and cocked his head to the side.

"What do you mean?"Antonio demanded calmly, wiping his tears from his face with a handkerchief that Arthur offered him.

"I mean that you shouldn't beat yourself up for something completely out of your control." Arthur explained. "When I made my mistake, at least I had the choice whether or not to ruin my life." Arthur chuckled bitterly. Antonio said nothing, simply sitting quietly, attempting to stifle any sniffling he was producing and allowing Arthur to explain himself. "Given, my story isn't nearly as painful as yours, it was painful in its own way." Antonio nodded, prodding him to go on without saying a word, knowing he had opened up the gates for Arthur to clarify his mysterious past. "I grew up with the current queen." Arthur began shakily, nervous about revealing his most painful memory to the eager looking Antonio. "I trusted her more than I trusted my own sister." He stated whimsically. "She and I were inseparable. Two peas in a pod. Of course her father disliked the idea of his daughter spending so much time with a boy, especially when we started to get to a more…ahem…sexually active age." Arthur flushed noticeably, making Antonio smile. "He had nothing to worry about because well…I started noticing that…well I mean…" Arthur stammered his face a deep crimson. Chuckling Antonio filled in his statement for him,

"You noticed that you weren't attracted to women." Antonio pointed out receiving a shocked look from Arthur. "Don't look so surprised, you're too good at flirting with girls to be straight." He winked waving for him to go on.

"Yes…um…of course." Arthur stumbled; confused at the lack of and generally passive reaction he was receiving from Antonio. "Anyway, I trusted her with this knowledge, well more of a hunch at the time, and begged for her to keep the information a secret because there is no faster way to be disowned or shunned by the population within the castle then to admit that you are not…well you know." Antonio nodded patiently. "Everything was going great, at first that is, but of course the princess became engaged, and problems started arising." Arthur grumbled bitterly. "We never thought it to be a problem at the time, but someone…one of the maids I suspect…began spreading rumors that the princess was being unfaithful to her future husband that she was having sexual relations with me.

"Of course the Princess and I both denied the allegations, but the seed of doubt was planted and we chose to ignore it like the young idiots we were." Arthur's explanation was becoming hissed. "I returned home one day from a hunting trip one day a few weeks later, only to be summoned to the King's meeting chambers.

"The king was waiting along with the former Queen and the princess. A few advisors as well as my parents were accompanying them, they were all looking at me with the most…disgusted…looks on their faces. The Princess, Victoria, I shall never forget the look of remorse on her face. No one had to say a word for me to know what happened." Antonio nodded sympathetically. "She had told them…she told them _everything_. I can only hope that they her with disownment because for no other reason could I see why she would ever do something like that." Antonio nodded sympathetically, focused entirely on Arthur's grief stricken face, his own tears dry on his cheeks.

"The King is the one who asked me. He didn't go about it in a roundabout way or anything. Just: The princess has claimed that you are a homosexual, and chose to hide this knowledge from your King and the men I have placed under your control, how do you plead?" Arthur shuddered slightly smiling gratefully when Antonio squeezed his hand gently. "I thought about lying…allowing her to take the fall after she had so blatantly broken my trust, but then again…I could see the pain in her eyes, and I understood." He whispered. "I had no choice but to protect her, destroy any self image I had left in the courts, if only to let her live the rest happily."He hissed angrily, his hands white knuckled as they clenched. "Of course, My parents disowned me, the king considered imprisoning me, and the only three people who would even look me in the eye were Elizabeta, the princess, and Iain.

"The next week I shipped off for the coast, used what was left of my personal funds to purchase a boat and crew, and began my work as a pirate. I haven't returned to the palace since, I couldn't. It was Elizabeta who found me again, smashed out of my mind in some God forsaken bar in one of the shadiest cities on this side of the planet." Arthur smiled slightly at the memory, chuckling at the shocked look on Antonio's face. "She pulled me out of some brawl or another and dumped my sorry ass in a horse trough to get me to stop trying to punch her in the head. Once I slept it off on the floor of her bathroom she told me that the former king and queen had died, and that Victoria was ruling with her new husband, and they had a little job for us to do."

"I'll take it you took the job?" Antonio prodded his lips quirking up into a grin. Arthur chuckled and shook his head.

"Not at first. I loved being a pirate too much to just give it up." Arthur admitted nonchalantly. "She had to follow me for a relatively long time before I let her shove the biggest sack of gold I have ever seen right under my nose. What can I say…I was, and probably still am, one greedy son of a bitch." Antonio laughed outright at this, encouraging Arthur to continue. "That's nothing…because I didn't accept the gold at first, I just looked at it and went 'is that all, love?' like some sort of git. So you know what she did? She smacked me upside the head and dragged me down the stairs by my ear like some sort of misbehaved child and proceeded to dump me in the ocean." Antonio cackled at the mental image as Arthur smirked despite himself.

"That's one way to convince you." Arthur nodded in agreement, settling back against the log with a sigh. "Oh…" He chuckled, "And your secret is safe with me." Arthur blinked, looking over at the sleepy looking man leaned up against his shoulder he smiled slightly.

"Antonio…" he muttered.

"Si?" The man demanded calmly his eyes closed.

"Thank you."

~X~

**Well...I guess this chapter was doomed to be story time with Antonio and Arthur. UGH! Nothing I said made me happy with this one! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this moment of reflection despite the fact it is ridiculously long! More action to come! **


	6. Chapter 6

It was harder than Elizabeta imagined dragging her party through the bustling streets of the Capital City. Not only were they forced to walk and simply tow their worn out horses through a majority of the lower city, but her group was slowly starting to prove true to their histories of being country bumpkins. They were so bad at keeping themselves out of trouble that she thought at least one would die before they managed to reach the upper city and the palace.

One minute she would be rescuing the shocked looking Feliciano from getting squashed under a oblivious carriage driver and the next she was searching feverishly to find Mathius who had managed to get separated when he was distracted by a foreign goods salesman.

At least she had some help, Iain and his men helped lead the group around the busiest streets and the alleys that had changed or shifted since she had last been in the city. While all the while Arthur made sure to keep an eye on the pickpockets peering at the country boys with peeked interest.

"Alfred…you don't need that." Elizabeta snapped when the boy reached for a sticky bun that a vender was offering him. "Back off ladies, he may be pretty but he's not interested in being your plaything. Believe me, you'd just break him." Romano shot her a grateful, though indignant look when she shooed away a few prostitutes that had taken an unhealthy interest in him. Flushing he dashed behind her when one of the more persistent street walkers whistled loudly after him, and scowled at the cackling Gilbert once safely behind his commanding officer.

"Is the castle as big as it looks outside on the inside?" Isu demanded quietly, his shoulder practically glued to his brother's side. Elizabeta chuckled and nodded, shooting a look at the towering stone fortress trimmed with the red and gold flags of the royal family.

"Even bigger! There's underground levels that you can't even see from here!" Elizabeta crowed proudly, her excitement spreading to her group and making even the somber Arthur grin softly.

"Aye…and there's some new renovations since ye were last here!" Iain put in calmly. "Did ah mention they expanded the zoo? It was something one of the Lords decided would be nice for the little prince and princess after His Majesty well..." He didn't have to finish, they understood. Elizabeta bowed her head sadly for a moment, but was back in good spirits quickly enough.

"Do you think either of my brothers will be here?" She demanded quietly so that only Iain could here.

"Ah don' think so. Since the King was murdered your family has wanted nothing to do with politics and the courts." Iain explained, his nose scrunching slightly in a way she quickly recognized as a habit he shared with Arthur as he strained to think of something sitting on the tip of his tongue. "Oh! That's what ah was gonna say! I did see yer brother, Hercules, when ah set off to find yah. Ah told him where ah was going and he told me to bring ye back in one piece and to tell ya that ye should have written more." Elizabeta blinked, startled that her normally nonchalant brother had even acknowledged her absence let alone minded it, and was going to demand to know if he had said anything else, but was unable to because they had reached their destination.

"State your business." A guard grunted from the gate above the portcullis, obviously not recognizing Iain in his mud streaked uniform. Moving his beast of a horse to the front of the group, not minding the feet he might be crushing, Iain let out a groan of irritation.

"Gregory ye stupid cunt! It's me!" Iain bellowed crossly, swinging down off his horse and removing his helmet to allow his identifying uncut scarlet hair to spill out around his forehead. "Ah may not look as handsome all saddle sore, pungent, and so dirty I have muck in my bones, but it's me!" He roared when the man hesitated. "Now let us in before ah set ye to cleaning tack for a week ye twat!" He ordered harshly causing the man jumped and scrambled to complete his orders.

"Sir, yes sir. My apologies Lord Kirkland! I didn't recognize you." Iain sniffed at the excuse, but he did wink at Elizabeta to prove that he wasn't really going to make the man clean tack. Shaking her head exasperatedly Elizabeta clicked her tongue to coax her exhausted charger into amble slowly into the open courtyard beyond the drawbridge.

"We'll take your horses, sirs." A group of stablemen explained as they dismounted from their mounts with groans of fatigue. Elizabeta smiled at the small girl who took her reins and tossed her a copper bit as a thank you before meeting back up with her group. Her country boys were managing to look ecstatic despite the obvious lack of energy they possessed after riding four days straight. Each set of eyes were alight with individual wonder as they gaped at her long time home.

Of course she couldn't blame them; the palace was as beautiful a gem as any in the Royal Jewels. Towering spires and ramparts made of stone that sparkled with an unfamiliar glamour. She had been told when she was a child that the sparkling rocks were migicked by the fairies, but of course that was ridiculous: the rocks had their own natural sheen from the volcanic rock mixed in the mortar used to form the bricks.

The courtyard itself was lined with flowers and tress imported from around the planet and maintained by the palace mages. The arches surrounding the garden were individually laced with ivy or flower bearing flowers. Even the fountain, made of solid white slab marble, was coated with blossoms bred crimson and amethyst.

Of course she had taken such grandeur for granted as a child, but after months of traveling through the slummiest areas of the world the beauty that surrounded her was almost enough to send tears streaming from her eyes.

"You used to live _here?_" Gilbert gaped, his hand resting on her steel plate covered shoulder to get her attention.

"I was raised on a fief a few miles from here, not in the castle itself. When I turned eleven I came here for my knight training, and I left pretty soon after that. This place is beautiful, but the road is my true home." She admitted with a small smile.

"Don't like this place fool you." Arthur snapped pulling off his gloves as one of the man servants led them towards their rooms. "It may look like an apple with seamless flesh, but the center is nothing more than a rotten core."

"Arthur…could you let them have their moment?" She scolded. "You won't be dealing with politics while we're here. We'll get our job and get out before Arthur strangles the wrong lord." Elizabeta reassured her suddenly apprehensive looking group.

"Your rooms, good sirs." The servant bowed the moment they came to an abrupt halt just outside a large series of sealed doors. "There are two beds in each room, a bath has already been drawn in each of them, we'll allow you to decide who bathes first and will replace the water for the second." The man explained bobbing again.

"So we pair off as we normally do." Arthur ordered assuredly. "Alfred, you go with Mathius. Gilbert you're with your brother. Feliciano, Romano. Nikolai you'll of course be with your brother."

"And then you'll be by yourself my lord?" The servant demanded calmly.

"What? Oh, no of course not. Me and Lady Héderváry will share a room." Arthur explained assuredly. The servant seemed extremely appalled at such a suggestion, but of course his manners forced him to remain calm as he stated:

"Of course…but it has been requested by her majesty that my lady stays in her own private quarters along with the rest of the noble ladies of the court." Elizabeta blanched her hand balling into a fist in defiance.

"Why does she not give the Lord Arthur such commodities then? His title is higher than mine." She spat jabbing a finger at Arthur in a questioning fashion. The servant, of course, remained passive as he answered.

"If it pleases my lady, her majesty believed that in order to prevent any rumors from circulating that you, being the only female of the group, remain separate from the males, as is custom." The group bristled around her, forming a solid half circle of muscle in her defense. Elizabeta was about to take a stand, but Gilbert came forward first.

"I think we can deal with any rumors that may be started because she chooses to stay with us, Lad." Gilbert snapped. "Anyone who chooses to question her morals or her honor should be sent in our direction, we'd be _delighted_ to correct them. Now if you don't mind, I am _really _f***ing tired and would like to scrape this goddamn muck off of me, but you are getting in my way!" Gilbert bellowed, his voice growing increasingly louder until the small servant looked like he was about to wet himself.

"O….of course. I shall inform her m…ajesty at once, sir." The man bowed heavily, skidding away from the group with a shuffling sprint. They watched him go for a moment before Gilbert threw back his head with a hearty laugh, shocking them enough to make them all jump about a foot in the air.

"Kesesese! Someone say that was awesome!" He laughed, but when no one spoke up he shrugged. "Your silence is enough to prove that I am successfully so awesome that I have blown your minds. Now…The little kiss ass said something about a bath and for some reason I'm not in it! If you'd excuse me." Gilbert grunted, squeezing Elizabeta's shoulder once more before sauntering into one of the adjoining rooms.

"He's not going to be in trouble…is he?" Ludwig demanded nervously. Arthur shook his head, rubbing his forehead in annoyance.

"No, I wouldn't allow him to be punished. Besides it would be two nobles' word against that of a servant, it shouldn't even come to question." Arthur explained. "As long as he doesn't say something like that to a noble, I'm sure we'll survive the week." Elizabeta nodded in agreement, but she was smiling gratefully in the direction the albino had disappeared.

"I'll keep him in check." Ludwig's muttered out response showed that he was quiet used to keeping an eye on his rambunctious elder brother.

"Good, we'll see you when it's time to meet up with the queen." Arthur's tone was a dismissive one, so quickly the remainder of their group scattered to their selected rooms.

"That went well." Elizabeta cackled behind him.

"Better than I expected, we're all still alive." Arthur grumbled.

"Well Sir Positivity, would you like to take the first bath?"

~X~

Someone would have to speak eventually. The awkward silence couldn't last forever, could it?

For the millionth time Arthur wished he could melt into the tiles and simply disappear like the majority of the lords and ladies of the court yearned he would do. He was agonizingly aware of his mother's eyes burrowing into his skull from across the room, and the feeling, as usual, was an unwanted one. Determined to keep his face unfazed, he focused his gaze on the Queen as she examined their group with a small smile on her lips.

The queen looked well for a woman who had lost her husband only recently. Her skin held a healthy radiance about it, and her dark mahogany tresses hung in luxurious ringlets around her lightly powdered face. Just like her mother and father she was the picture of regality, without the general loathing scowl her parents had directed at him. Though he would never admit it out loud, he was proud of his once knobby kneed skinny little runt he had once played pretend with.

Shifting back to reality, he noted that behind him, he could feel his companions shifting nervously. Their newly granted court clothes most likely uncomfortable and itchy in comparison to their travel ware. He could feel the anxiety rising up from his group and hoped that they had enough basic common sense to stay quiet during the exchange.

At his side, Elizabeta kept her gaze passive and calm, the good night sleep she had received evident in the healthy glow of her cheeks. Arthur wished he could claim the same amount of sleep, but once he had settled to sleep he had been kept awake by the ever present knowledge of the trails he was going to be faced with.

"Arthur…Elizabeta, allow me to be the first of many to welcome you home." The Queen's sudden speech broke the sheet of ice separating the groups with a noticeable crack. "And also, thank you for returning so swiftly."

"Thank you my liege for the welcome. We came at once when we heard of your need of our services." Elizabeta bowed at the waist, a move that Arthur and the remainder of their companions quickly mimicked.

"Yes, for that I am grateful because this mission cannot wait even for you to recover from your journey. " The Queen stated with obvious hidden apologies in her tone. "This is a task I trust only to you, my closest friends and most trusted vassals." Arthur looked up slowly, his eyes locking with the queen in confusion.

"Give us your orders and we shall comply, my liege." Elizabeta proclaimed, her form and gaze not wavering once as she stared calmly back at her Queen.

"I have use for your militia's talents in traveling unnoticed through areas. But most importantly," She began, her gaze shifting from Elizabeta to Arthur, "I require your assistance, Arthur, for your talents in gathering intelligence." Arthur felt his mind blanked instantly, and the noted the instantaneous look of shock in his mother's eyes. "Arthur, my dearest friend, I have wronged you more than I can ever hope for you to forgive, but I must ask this favor from you." Arthur could feel the sincere regret in the Queen's voice, her eyes were sparkling with grief and her proud face was contorted into that of a woman desperate to be forgiven. He couldn't help but smile a little as he answered,

"Your majesty, there was never anything to forgive. You have done nothing wrong." He explained sincerely, noticing the automatic relief that welled up in the woman's features. "Now…the mission, your majesty?" He demanded, finding the scowls of the nobles to be a bit less noticeable.

"Of course." She smiled regally once again, her face still strained with regret. "Lady Kirkland, if you would?" She ordered, waving forward the red headed woman with an insistent gesture.

"Of course, my Lady." Arthur's mother bowed, moving forward with a powerful step to stand before her Queen. "Lady Héderváry, your orders are relatively simple. One of the fiefs to the East of Here, Wintersgrasp, has been showing activity that we have found unusual and potentially dangerous. We worry, with that particular fief being so close to the borderlands, that they might be involved with a plot to overthrow her majesty."

"I'm assuming that you'll want us to spy on them." Elizabeta grimaced. Arthur wanted to smile a bit at the movement; he knew that Elizabeta was not one for sneaking along in the shadows, preferring to invade head on.

"Yes of course. You, My Lady, will be masquerading as visiting diplomat along with your serving men and personal guard." Elizabeta frowned slightly at the notion.

"What of, Lord Kirkland?" She demanded ignoring the nudge she received from Arthur. "Shouldn't he be disguised as my husband?" Lady's Kirkland's face contorted into a disgusted sneer as she answered.

"_Master Kirkland." _She spat. "Will be disguised as a servant; you are to appear to be a single Lady hoping for a chance to court the young master of the castle."Arthur felt his blood boil as his mother practically spit out her answer.

"I must protest! If I am to be in anyway apart of this mission I would like Lord Kirkland to be of equal standing!" Elizabeta protested loudly, her temper blazing. Surprisingly, it was not the Lady Kirkland who jumped forward to disagree. It was Arthur himself.

"Actually, My Lady, disguising myself as a servant will be the perfect cover for any investigation I will be a part of. I have no protests to this plan, and agree wholeheartedly that we should move forward as it is already established." Arthur's nonchalant attitude was obviously a slap in the face for his mother, who looked taken aback and shocked at such passé behavior. "I thank you mother, for being so quick to come up with such a splendid idea." He smiled coldly, his mouth spreading into a cocky grin.

"Then it is settled." The queen ordered, her eyes warily glancing over the conflict potentially building up between mother and son. "You shall leave after you are granted a few days to prepare what you need and your mounts are rested enough to continue."

"Thank you your majesty." Arthur bowed, keeping an eye on the fuming Elizabeta nervously.

"You may take your leave." The Queen dismissed them with a wave. "And once I again, I must thank you for your service."

"Like I said before, your majesty, it's no problem at all." Arthur bowed, dragging Elizabeta down with him. "Your majesty, Mother." He nodded, receiving a livid scowl from the woman who gave him life before towing Elizabeta from the room.

~X~X~X~

**Mumsy is not happy…I thought Arthur handled the situation very well no? Just you wait! It's not going to be an easy stay at the Fief Wintersgrasp. Familiar faces are yet to come =D**


End file.
